The Aberdeen Wings defenseman Logan Britt has committed to play Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University. Logan is a 6’1 174lb lefty from Crystal Lake, IL. Logan joined the Wings at the start of the 2016-17 season. Over the 2 seasons with Aberdeen Logan has played in 66 games and has a total of 23 points, 1 goal & 22 assists.

“I’d like to thank everyone for helping me get to where I am today. Special thanks to my parents, sisters, the Odde Family, Coach Langer, Coach Bohn and all my teammates for always pushing me to succeed. I’m very excited to have committed to Quinnipiac University and to become a Bobcat.” Logan Britt

“I Couldn’t be happier for Logan, he has been a great Aberdeen Wing both on and off the ice. He is an extremely talented player that will excel at the college level.” Head Coach Scott Langer

Logan will join the Bobcats and former Wing Andrew Shortridge for the 2019-20 season. Quinnipiac is located in Hamden, CT and they play their hockey in the ECAC. Last season the Bobcats finished with a 16-18-4 overall record including a 9-11-2 conference record.

The Aberdeen Wings organization would like to wish Logan the best of luck as he continues to climb the ladder of success.

North Dakota State has been tabbed as the Missouri Valley Football Conference pre-season favorite in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. NDSU has been picked first in the pre-season poll for seven-straight seasons.

North Dakota State has earned the league title for seven-straight years, four times sharing it with another league school. This year, NDSU was a unanimous choice, receiving all 39 first-place tallies and a total of 390 points. It marks just the second time in league history that a team received all of the first-place votes in the MVFC pre-season poll (NDSU also did it in 2013.)

South Dakota State earned the second spot in the poll, finishing with 340 total points, followed by UNI (270), Youngstown State (258), Illinois State (248) and South Dakota (206).

The league is coming off a season in which five teams represented the conference in the playoffs. The MVFC has had four or more playoff teams in four-straight seasons (earning five each in 2014, 2015 and last year). Western Illinois was one of the league's five playoff teams a year ago, and the Leathernecks -- with new head coach Jared Elliott at the helm -- are picked seventh with 163 total points. Western is followed by Southern Illinois (139), Missouri State (90) and Indiana State (41) in the voting.

A pre-season favorite has claimed the league crown 20 times (in 32 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season, and the Bison earned both the league title and the national title (following a 17-13 win over previously unbeaten James Madison in the NCAA Division I Football Championship game in Frisco, Texas).

Valley Football is celebrating its 34th season in 2018. In its first 33 seasons the league owns eight national crowns. MVFC teams combined for an 8-4 record in last year's playoffs, while North Dakota State and South Dakota State both reached the semifinals. That marks the third time in the past four years in which two league teams played in the semis. North Dakota State, meanwhile, represented the league in the title game, marking the 7th-straight year at least one MVFC team has reached the championship game -- an FCS record. Notably, MVFC teams have combined for a 52-23 record in the playoffs this decade. Only one other league has as many as 20 wins since 2010 (CAA Football is next best with 37.)

The 2018 season begins Thursday, Aug. 30, with four league teams in action. Nine non-conference games feature road matchups against FBS opponents. An MVFC school has recorded a win against an FBS school in each of the past eight seasons, setting a league record in 2016 with four that year. Conference play begins Thursday, Sept. 27, as Indiana State hosts UNI in the first league tilt of the season.

The MVFC will announce its pre-season all-conference teams this week (Tuesday-Offense; Wednesday-Defense). North Dakota State tops the league with 11 total selections, including a league-best eight on the first-team unit. South Dakota State, meanwhile, has the second-most selections, with eight total honorees. Youngstown State has five first-team selections, meanwhile, which is second-best to NDSU.

Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • North Dakota State • Northern Iowa
South Dakota • South Dakota State • Southern Illinois • Western Illinois • Youngstown State

Former South Dakota men's basketball standout Tyler Flack(2012-17) has signed a professional playing contract with the Norrköping Dolphins of the Basketligan, the highest league in Sweden.

The Lakeville, Minnesota, native tallied nearly 1,000 points in his career at South Dakota with an average of 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 101 career games for the Coyotes.

The 6-foot-7 forward helped South Dakota earn its first Summit League Championship his senior campaign averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He earned first-team all-Summit League honors following the season.

Flack sat out the 2017-18 professional season to nurse a few nagging injuries from his final year with USD and prepared for the opportunity presented to him with Norrköping. The time away from basketball also helped him complete his degree in kinesiology and sport science.

"I worked on strengthening my leg, working out four times a week in the weight room," Flack said. "I rehabbed three times a week and worked my way back into shooting slowly.

"I completed my internship in Lakeville during this time, which let me earn my degree. That was important."

Many Coyote fans last memory of Flack are of him completing the daunting 540-degree, reverse dunk at the 2017 College Slam Dunk Championship on ESPN.

"That was really cool," Flack said of the experience. "I was surprised to be invited. It was cool to be on the big stage and show my talents.

"Dunking is something that I have been doing since I was probably five when I would dunk on a Fischer-Price plastic hoop and move up to eight foot, nine foot, or however tall it had to be for me to dunk."

Flack's athleticism, well known by Summit League foes and Coyote fans alike, will be on full display with the Dolphins.

"He is very athletic and has a good first step," Norrköping head coach Adnan Chuck said in the Dolphins' announcement. "We see great development potential. Defensively, we see a big strength and he blocks many shots per game. He will provide a lot of defense in many different situations."

Norrköping placed second in Basketligan with a 21-7 record last season.

The Basketligan is the same league Trevor Gruis (2010-14) played in during his first year of professional basketball as a member of Jämtland in 2014-15.

Since becoming a regular with the Wild nearly five years ago, Jason Zucker has considered Minnesota a second home.

That second home is about to become his first.

Zucker, a man who has become a staple of the team's offensive attack on the ice and one of its most involved off of it signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Wild on Wednesday, forgoing an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Saturday.

"We're so excited to be back," Zucker said. "To have it done and to know that we're going to be back in Minnesota for the next five years is incredible and it's exactly what we wanted."

A three-time 20-plus goal scorer, Zucker last season surpassed 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career, finishing second on the team with 33. He also amassed 31 assists (his first time over 30 helpers in a season) and 64 points, each career highs.

Zucker also played in all 82 games for the first time in his career and has missed a total of three games in the past two years combined.

"I think it's now my job. I'm excited for it, I'm excited for the challenge that comes with [building on last season]," Zucker said. "I'm not satisfied with what I did last year and I'm excited to keep working this summer and get back at it."

Zucker made his NHL debut at the tail end of the 2011-12 season following a standout two-year career at the University of Denver. He was up and down between Minnesota and the minors over the next three seasons, playing in a total of 92 games between 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Zucker signed a two-year extension with the Wild after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, one in which he scored 13 goals and just 23 points in 71 games.

He was determined not to let that happen again.

In 79 games in 2016-17, Zucker scored a career-high 22 goals, 25 assists and 47 points while posting a plus-34. He bumped those totals up again this past season.

"When we look at the league now, we look at the speed that has started to dominate our game. He generates so many chances based off of his speed and skill level. It's really hard to find natural goal scorers, and he's had a history of being able to score goals," said Wild General Manager Paul Fenton. "We see Jason as being a big part of both the now, and the future. It's hard to come by goal scorers, and him having a great year scoring goals last year, it was our intention to get him signed [long-term]."

Away from the rink, Zucker and his wife, Carly, have become forces in the Twin Cities community.

Together, their #Give16 campaign has raised more than $1 million for the Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio at Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.

"That's a huge part of it for Carly and I, we really enjoy everything we do with Masonic and enjoy everything we do with every other community and company and organization that we work with," Zucker said. "We know that we want to leave a great legacy as a family. forget myelf, it's our whole family legacy that we want to leave [in Minnesota]. We knew this was another step in making sure we could do that."

For his work in the community, Zucker was named a finalist for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy last month at the NHL Awards in his home town of Las Vegas, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

"I've watched what he's done this summer and he's just become an integral part of our fabric," Fenton said. "That's the nice thing, is when you can get players and families that are wanting to do the extra to bring charities to mind and helping to promote things. It helps to promote our product, but it's also great ... that he and his family are so willing to give back."

Zucker becomes the Wild's fifth-highest paid player in terms of average annual value, behind Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Matt Dumbaand Mikael Granlund, tied with team captain Mikko Koivu.
The signing leaves the Wild with just over $1.7 million in salary cap space, according to capfriendly.com, but the club has now re-signed all of its restricted free agents; Dumba inked a five-year deal over the weekend while defenseman Nick Seeler signed a three-year contract on July 1.

Signing Zucker was believed to be the final piece of the Wild's offseason, at least from a free-agent perspective, but Fenton has not ruled out a trade, either late this summer or after the season begins.

"Without doing anything, I want to see what our team looks like before I go and make changes," Fenton said. "I'm hoping that everybody plays well but we know the nature of sports, and at some point, it might have to go down the [trade] road. But right now, I'm very comfortable with the lineup that we have."

Presentation College head men's soccer coach Terrance Kampa announced the signing of five new Saints set to arrive fall of 2018. The 2018 class includes Rylie Young, Noah Bradford, Christian Barnes, Anthony Martinez and Eduardo Melo and marks Kampa's first signing class as head coach at Presentation.

Rylie Young – Midfield – 5'9 – Sutton, Australia

Rylie Young is a 5-foot-9 midfielder out of Erindale College in Canberra, Australia. He is a four-year starter and senior captain under head coach Timothy Davis. He is the son of Eric Young and Jodette Young and plans to major in the realm of Sport Sciences at Presentation.

Noah Bradford – Midfield – 5'10 – Tallassee, Alabama

Noah Bradford is a 5-foot-10 midfielder out of Tallassee High School. He is a four-year starter and letter winner for the Tigers under head coach Katie Hayley. Bradford earned captain honors during his junior and senior seasons and racked up 28 points (10 goals, 8 assists) during his senior campaign. Off the field, Bradford is actively involved in church camps to help people in need. He is the son of Brandy and Ron Woodfin and plans to major in Business Management.

Christian Barnes – Midfield – 5'10 – Burleson, Texas

Christian Barnes is a 5-foot-10 midfielder out of Burleson High School. For the Elks, Barnes is a senior starter under head coach Travis Hughes and earned 2018 All-District and All-Johnson County honors. Off the soccer field, he is a two-time Academic All-District selection and is actively involved with the cross-country team. He is the son of Tina Barnes and plans to major in Rad-Tech.

Anthony Martinez – Midfield – 5'7 – Pomona, California

Anthony Martinez is a 5-foot-7 midfielder out of Glendora High School in Glendora, California. He is a two-year starter for the Spartans under head coach James Iles. Martinez earned 2017-18 CIF All-League Honorable Mention honors as his team advanced to the third round of the CIF tournament after an 8-1-1 season. He is the son of Martha P. Daniels and Francisco Martinez and plans to major in Exercise Science.

Eduardo Melo – Defense – 5'8 – Natal, RN – Brazil

Eduardo Melo is a 5-foot-8 defender out of Colegio Marista De Natal in Brazil. During his time at Colegio, Melo was a two-year starter for head coach Djavan and posted a career-high 26 points (8 goals, 10 assists) during his senior campaign. Furthermore, Melo guided his team to back-to-back state championships and named RN Player of the State during the 2015 season. After graduating in the winter of 2015, Melo attended Missouri Valley College for the past two years and was a 2017 NAIA finalist. He is the son of Paulo Melo and Silvana Sousa and plans to major in Business.

The Saints open their 2018 season with a scrimmage against Concordia Moorhead on August 22nd. The 2:00 p.m. scrimmage will be played on Northern State University's new turf soccer field on the campus of NSU.

Minnesota Wild General Manager Paul Fenton today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has agreed to terms with restricted free-agent defenseman Matt Dumba on a five-year, $30 million contract ($5.2 million in 2018-19, $7.4 million in 2019-20, $4.8 million in 2020-21, $7.4 million in 2021-22 and $5.2 million in 2022-23 for a $6.0 million average annual value).

Dumba, 23, tallied 50 points (14-36=50) and a plus-15 rating in 82 games with Minnesota in 2017-18. He set career highs in games played, goals, assists, points, game-winning goals (4), power-play assists (10), time on ice/game (23:48), shots on goal (176), hits (136) and blocked shots (112). The 6-foot, 184-pound native of Regina, Sask., ranked T-1st amongst NHL defensemen in overtime goals (2), T-4th in GWG, T-10th in goals and 19th in scoring. His point total was the third-best amongst team defensemen all-time. Dumba recorded four points (1-3=4) vs. Dallas on March 29, 2018, setting a franchise record for most points in a game by a defenseman.

He has collected 128 points (44-84=128), a plus-39 rating, 163 PIM, 366 hits and 293 blocked shots in 310 career NHL games during parts of five seasons with Minnesota (2013-18). Dumba owns eight points (3-5=8) in 26 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Wild selected the right-shot defenseman in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Mike Hughes has signed several autographs since his selection by the Vikings in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

His signature on Thursday officially launched his pro career.

Hughes signed his rookie contract to round out this year’s Vikings draft class of eight players.

The 5-foot-10, 189-pound Hughes became the highest-drafted defensive player in UCF history when he was selected 30th overall. He joined Daunte Culpepper (11th overall in 1999) as the only two Knights players tabbed by Minnesota in first rounds.

Hughes made a mark in his one season with the Knights, returning two kickoffs, a punt and an interception for touchdowns. He averaged 31.8 yards on kickoffs (fourth in FBS in 2017) and tied for the team lead with four total interceptions to help UCF go 13-0.

A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Hughes began his collegiate career at North Carolina before spending a year at Garden City Community College.

Hughes is one of five first-round selections in the Vikings secondary, along with Terence Newman, Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith and Trae Waynes.

Tickets are still available for 2018 Verizon Vikings Training Camp at the TCO Performance Center for select dates.Click hereto access more information.

The Presentation College baseball program has signed ten new recruits for the 2018-19 season, head coach Michael Dahl announced Friday. The 2018-19 recruiting class brings in five pitchers and five infielders from eight states including Nevada, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, Texas, Alabama, and Minnesota.

BJ Wyche – Pitcher – 6'3 – Las Vegas, Nevada

BJ Wyche is a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher out of Centennial High School. He was a two-year starter at CHS and helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back Northwest Division titles during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. BJ is the son of Brian Sr. and Lymarie Wyche and plans to major in Biology.

CJ Canfield – Pitcher – 5'10 – Rochester, Washington

CJ Canfield is a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher out of Granite High School in Phillipsburg, Montana. He was a four-year starter and senior captain under head coach Mike Fink for the Prospectors. After high school graduation, CJ went on to play baseball for Miles Community College in Miles City, Montana. During his time at MCC, CJ helped the Pioneers to a 32-22 record and a trip to the regional postseason tournament a season ago. CJ is the son of Jenny and Cory Canfield and plans to major in Exercise Science.

Damon Moore – 1B/3B – 6'0 – Tucson, Arizona

Damon Moore is a 6-foot infielder out of Saint Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona. He was a four-year starter and a two-time captain for the Wolves under head coach Dan Ramirez. Damon was a decorated athlete as he was a two-time First-Team All-Section, picked twice for the Southern Arizona All-Star Game, and played in the All-State All-Star Game during his senior campaign. Damon batted a career high .422 average with 22 RBI and nine extra base hits during his junior year. He is the son of Melissa Moore and Randy Moore and plans to major in Human Services.

John Froese – Infield – 6'4 – Santa Teresa, New Mexico

John Froese is a 6-foot-4 infielder out of Santa Teresa's High School in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. John was a three-time letter winner and three year starter for the Desert Warriors under head coach Gilbert Bailon. Froese helped lead his team to an 18-10 record during his senior campaign and a postseason appearance for the past three seasons for the Desert Warriors. The two-year captain is a two-time All-District honoree and voted the Spring Athlete of the Year for his high school during his senior year. He is the son of John and Agatha Froese and plans to major in Sports Administration.

PJ Ballinger – Infield – 6'0 – Las Vegas, Nevada

PJ Ballinger is a 6-foot infielder out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. PJ is a two-year letter winner for the Skyhawks under head coach Brian Whitaker. The senior starter batted .290 and helped the Skyhawks to an 11-win season during his senior campaign. PJ is the son of Patrick and Sharla Ballinger and plans to major in Athletic Training.

Brendan Delgado – Pitcher – 5'11 – Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Brendan Delgado is a 5-foot-11 left-handed pitcher out of Coeur d'Alene High School. Brendan was a three-year letter winner for the Vikings under head coach Nick Mahin. Brendan went on and played his first two years at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California. During his time with the Eagles, Brendan helped his team to a 13-win season and posted the third lowest ERA on the team. Brendan is the son of Tami Delgado and David Delgado and plans to major in Sports Management.

Gilbert Aguilar – Infield – 5'11 – Tucson, Arizona

Gilbert Aguilar is a 5-foot-11 infielder out of Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Arizona. Gilbert was a captain for the Falcons and posted a .330 average with 44 hits in 53 games. He also earned Catalina Foothills All-Star Second Team honors during the 2016 season. He is the son of Evelyn Fimbres and Gilbert Aguilar and plans to major in Sports Management.

Christian Wulf – Pitcher – 6'5 – McKinney, Texas

Christian Wulf is a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher out of McKinney Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas. After graduating from McKinney, Wulf spent the past two years at Hibbing Community College in Hibbing, Minnesota. Wulf was a captain for the Cardinals and helped his team to the 2018 NJCAA Region 13 Postseason Tournament after a 15-win season. He is the son of Randy and Jennifer Wulf and plans to major in Communications.

Ethan Johnson – Pitcher – 6'4 – Wilsonville, Alabama

Ethan Johnson is a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher out of Evangel Classical Christian School in Alabaster, Alabama. He is a three-time captain and three year starter for the Lightning under head coach Tim Smith. During his time at Evangel Classical Christian, Johnson threw a no-hitter and helped his team to a 15-win season. He is the son of Jeanie and Joe Johnson and plans to major in Biology.

Colton Schusted - Infield - 6'2 - Braham, Minnesota

Coltoon Schusted is a 6-foot-2 infielder out of Braham High School. Colton is a four-year starter and letter winner for the Bombers under head coach Aitor Leniz. The senior captain helped lead his team to a Conference Championship this past season while batting .408. Colton is a two-time All-Great River Conference selection and is activley involved in the basketball and football teams at BHS. He is the son of Sam and Jodi Schusted and plans to major in Sports Management.

The Saints enjoyed the most successful season in program history, earning a fourth seed in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Baseball Conference Tournament in which they made the title game and setting the school record for most wins in a season with 26. The Saints posted an overall 26-18 record and a 14-8 record in conference during the 2018 season.

The South Dakota men's golf team has turned to a familiar face in John Vining to be the head coach athletics director David Herbsterannounced. Vining has spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach for the Coyote men's and women's golf programs.

"John has been a valuable member of our golf program for a decade, first as a student-athlete and for the last several years as a part of our coaching staff," Herbster said. "He has worked to establish a culture that allows us to compete for championships on a yearly basis, and we expect that to continue under his leadership."

Vining, a native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been an integral part of the Coyotes' success including the 2015 Summit League Championship and coaching the 2018 Summit League Golfer of the Year. He also oversaw several school records broken in the 2017-18 season including team scoring average (294.5), low team tournament round (271), low team tournament score (840) and low individual performance (-7, 64).

Between the men's and women's teams at USD, Vining has coached 11 all-Summit League performers, nine individual medalists and five team tournament victories. Among the all-league performers, his brother, Tommy, is a two-time first team all-league selection, the 2017 Summit League Newcomer of the Year and the 2018 Golfer of the Year.

"I am extremely grateful to be named the head coach of the University of South Dakota men's golf team," Vining said. "To be in this position at my alma mater is a dream come true. I will continue to represent our program and school with gratitude and pride.

"This job will continue to be about the student-athlete's experience. We have great momentum in our programs and I look forward to continuing that with our guys."

Vining was on staff in 2015 when the Coyotes won the Summit League Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional for the first time in program history. The same season, then head coach Nick Hovden earned Coach of the Year honors from the Summit League.

Academically, Vining has supervised a program with a perfect APR score for both the men's and women's squads.

As a student-athlete for the Coyotes, Vining was named to the American Sky All-Academic Team and Summit League Academic Team. He received the Coyote Character Award during his senior season in 2012. He graduated from USD in 2013 with a bachelor of science in physical education with endorsements in health and coaching.

"I want to thank all of my family, most of all, my wife, Sarah, and our son, Jones," Vining added. "I wouldn't have this opportunity without their endless support. Thank you to Nick Hovden and his family for giving me my first opportunity in collegiate coaching five years ago. Finally, thank you to David Herbster, David Williams and the administrative staff for believing in me and giving me this opportunity."

Former South Dakota State University pitcher Blake Treinen has been selected to represent the Oakland Athletics at next week's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.

Treinen currently ranks fourth in the AL with 23 saves. The right-hander also has compiled a 5-1 record with 56 strikeouts and only 12 bases on balls in 37 appearances, covering 46.2 innings. Sporting a 0.79 earned run average, Treinen has not allowed a run over his last 10 appearances and has surrendered only one run in his last 21 trips to the mound.

A native of Osage City, Kansas, Treinen posted a combined 14-4 record at SDSU between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He was originally drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft in 2010, then was selected in the seventh round by Oakland a year later after he opted to return to the Jackrabbits. Treinen made his Major League debut with the Washington Nationals in 2014, seeing action in four seasons before being traded back to Oakland midway through the 2017 campaign.

The MLB All-Star Game is scheduled for July 17. Television coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on FOX.

While Treinen is the lone former Jackrabbit currently in the Major Leagues, five other SDSU alumni are playing professionally in the minors.

Left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar has split his time between Class AA Erie and Triple-A Toledo in the Detroit Tigers system this season. In a combined 20 appearances, Thielbar is 4-0 with a 1.89 ERA. He has struck out 25 batters and walked only one batter in 33.1 innings.

Thielbar previously pitched in the Major Leagues with the Minnesota Twins from 2013-15.

Two other hurlers, right-handers Adam Bray and Layne Somsen, have seen limited work thus far in 2018. Currently on the disabled list, Somsen has made six appearances for the Class AA Tulsa Drillers, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.35 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate. The Yankton native who made two appearances with the Cincinnati Reds in 2016, has struck out 10 and not issued a walk in 6 2/3 innings this season.

Bray is in his first season with the Minnesota Twins organization after three seasons in the Dodgers' organization, and has pitched four times for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle. He has yet to factor in a decision, recording a 1.08 ERA with eight strikeouts and three walks in 8.1 innings of work.

Also playing professionally this summer are outfielder Zach Coppola and infielder Luke Ringhofer. An outfielder, Coppola has been sidelined by injury lately for the Class AA Reading Fightin Phils. In 38 games prior to his injury, Coppola batted .194 with seven runs batted in and 10 stolen bases.

Ringhofer is in his second season playing for the Baltimore Orioles Class A affiliate, the Aberdeen (Md.) IronBirds. Primarily playing at first base, Ringhofer has gotten off to a slow start so far this season by batting .135 with a home run and four RBIs in 17 games.

For the 11th consecutive year, the Northern State University women’s basketball team finished the 2017-18 season as the NCAA Division II National Attendance Leader. The Wolves averaged 3,056 fans per game, over 1,000 fan more than the runner-up Fort Hays State.

“A huge thank you to our loyal fans for their continued support,” noted NSU Director of Athletics, Josh Moon. “To average over 1,000 fans more than the next closest Division II team and to average more fans than the majority of Division I schools says a lot about how special NSU women’s basketball is to this region. We look forward to continuing this amazing tradition in 2018-19.”

In total, 42,788 fans watched the Wolves from Wachs Arena and the Barnett Center. That total also ranked them in the top-40 across all divisions, sitting 39th on that list of over 1,200 institutions. In addition to the total and average attendance numbers, Northern tallied the three highly attended games in the nation this past season. They tallied 4,677 fans versus MSU Moorhead on December 15, 4,639 fans versus Southwest Minnesota State on January 27, and 4,395 fans versus Augustana on January 13.

“There is truly nothing like the support we receive from Aberdeen and the surrounding communities,” added Paula Krueger, head women’s basketball coach. “It is unparalleled. NSU is a special place for many reasons, but none greater than this!”

2017-18 was a very exciting year for the Wolves women's basketball program. Northern finished as the NSIC Conference Champions for the first time since 1998. The advanced to their fifth straight NCAA regional appearance and recorded their first regional victory in those years. Curt Fredrickson finished the season with 846 career wins in 39 total years with the Wolves.

NBA Free agency began at midnight on Sunday July 1st and the Timberwolves have been somewhat quite. So far, the only move they have made is bringing back veteran guard Derrick Rose on a one-year deal. Rose is 29 years old and joined the Timberwolves after being traded to the Utah Jazz and being waived. The deal is worth $2.1 million.

The Timberwolves have also announced the team has waived center Cole Aldrich. Aldrich appeared in 21 games for the wolves in 2017-18 and averaged 2.3 minutes during that time.

The Wolves have made a qualifying offer to bench swingman Nemanja Bjelica and have also reportedly offered Jimmie Butler a max contract.

The Minnesota Wild have been busy during the opening hours of free agency. The team has signed both free agents and brought back players currently on the roster.

First, the Wild resigned 25-year-old defenseman Nick Seeler. The deal is for three-years worth $2.175 million. He recorded four assists, a -10 and 21 penalty minutes in 22 games with the wild last season. He is a native of Eden Prairie Minnesota and was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL draft by Minnesota.

The Wild signed two Minnesota natives on the free agent market as well. Those include 27-year-old JT Brown, who split last season between the Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning. The deal is for two-years worth $1.375 million contract.

“He did score quite a bit in college and he hasn't had the success that you might of thought he was going to," new Wild general manager Paul Fenton told Wild.com. "To play in that role, we're hoping he's a dirty type of goal player that he's able to get in around the paint and chip in with a lot of ugliness."

The other Minnesotan brought home via free agency this offseason included 37-year-old Matt Hendricks. Hendricks spent the past season with the Winnipeg Jets and notched five goals, 13 points in 50 games last season.

"The character that he brings both on and off the ice and being a local guy from here that can have that influence on our younger players was really a critical part that we identified awhile ago and we're very happy to have him on board," Fenton tells Wild.com. "We've already had the conversation that it might not be a (playing) every night thing, and that's fine. We never know ... what the health of our team is gonna be, so you can say whatever you want on July 1st but at the end of the day let's just see how our lineup plays out here."

Minnesota added goaltender depth and someone to challenge backup Alex Stalock with the addition of goaltender Andrew Hammond. Hammond’s contract is for one-year worth $650,000 and is a two-way deal.

The Wild bolstered the blue line by bringing in Greg Pateryn on a three-year $6.75 million deal. Pateryn is 28-years-old and recorded 13 points with 50 penalty minutes in 73 games with the Dallas Stars last season. He set career highs last year in games played, assists, points, game time, penalty minutes, and shots on goal, shots block and hits. Also joining the defense corps is Matt Bartkowski on a one-year two-way contract. The 30-year-old played for Calgary last season.

From Anaheim, Minnesota signed forward Mike Liambas to a two-year, two-way contract. Liambas is 29-years-old and collected seven points and 104 penalty minutes in 40 games last year between the AHL and the NHL. The Wild also signed forward Eric Fehr for one-year $1 million taking him from the San Jose Sharks and the age of 32.